Process of bookbinding without stitches



, Sept. 11, 1934.

P. A. FRIAZIER 1,973,375

PROCESS OF BOOKBINDING WITHOUT STITCHES Filed July 11. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z0 20 '27 W 2/ 2/ 2/ Sept. 11, 1934. P. A. FRAZIER PROCESS OF BOOKBINDING- WITHOUT STITCHES Filed July 11, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 11, 1934 ifilli iiri PROCESS OF BOOKBINDING WITHOUT STITCHES Philip A. Frazier, Oak Park, 111. Application July 11, 1932, Serial No. 622,005

4 Claims.

This invention has to do with the binding of a book and relates in particular to a method of consolidating the signatures of a book by specially arranged ligatures of glue, and grooves for 5 the reception and formation of the glue ligatures.

Books which have been treated during their assembly so that their back is rounded and the signatures are arranged at the back of the book to effect a somewhat flared formation are greatly more satisfactory than a book with a flat back. A book so treated is much easier to open.

Heretofore it has only been possible to successfully round and back books which have had the signatures therein stitched or sewed together to thereby place more material at the back of the book so that it will be stacked thicker at that portion. That is, books such as the well-known patent bound type have never been satisfactorily rounded and backed because of insufficient material at the back of the pages to form the hinged part of the book.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for effectively binding a rounded and backed book without the use of stitches or sewing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple process for the assembling and retaining of a group of signatures in a formation suitable for being cased in.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of groove in the back of a group of signatures and shallower at the center of the group to provide for easy opening of the book.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an unique way of effecting a groove within the back of a group of signatures and 40 which groove is of broader section at the bottom than at the top.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an operation in the process of building a book comprising trimming the signatures for eifecting grooves in the back of a group of signatures to be shallower near'the center of the group.

The above objects and other desirable objects to which reference will be made during the ensuing specification are accomplished through the agency of the invention hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings hereby made a part of the specification and in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a group of signatures being held in place by clamps;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of a group of signatures and clamps shown in schematic arrangement with blades for cutting grooves in the back of said signatures;

Figure 3 is an orthographic projection of the back of an encased book illustrating one system of groove arrangement;

Figure 4. is a transverse section of a group of signatures assembled in readiness to be cased;

Figure 5 is an end view of a cased book assembled by the steps of the present invention and showing the covering material of the case in cross section;

Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 are sections of diiferent types of grooves which may be placed in the back of a group of signatures; and

Figure 10 shows how the center signatures of a book may be trimmed at the back. to decrease the depth of grooves passing therethrough.

Like reference numerals indicate similar parts throughout the following description and in the drawings.

Conventional book binding machinery is used in the construction of the present type of book as far as possible. In Figures 1 and 2 are shown groups of signatures 20 which have been pre" viously gathered in the usual type of gathering machine. Subsequent to the gathering of the signatures with their backs alined in a single plane, clamps 21, which are shown schematically in Figures 1 and 2, are brought to opposite sides of each group to hold the signatures in the gathered position.

The signatures having been. gathered and clamped into the selected position are ready to have grooves cut into the backs thereof. For this operation, blades 22 be used. The rotating axes of the blades 22 are somewhat offset from the central plane of the group of si.gna tures so that the end of the blades when passing from the outermost signature to the signatures at the center of the book will out an arcuate groove deeper at the outermost signature than in those signatures near the center i the book.

It has been found that if the grooves are not out exactly transversely of the signatures but at an angle to the planes described by those signatures that the finished book will be of a character to open more easily. However, in certain classes of books the easier opening qualities are not of foremost importance it is not intended to exclude from this specification grooves which traverse the back of the book at right angles to the plane thereof.

One method of arranging the grooves is shown in Figure 3 where the arrangement is of a herring bone type. Here, it will be noted that the grooves terminate near the center of the group of signatures and extend angularly in either direction to and through the signatures composing the outer face of the group.

After grooves have been efiected within the back of the signature group, a thin hot glue 24 is applied thereto to run into the grooves and to fill the interstices between the backs of the signatures. When the grooves are out within the backs of the signatures the walls ,of the grooves are left somewhat ragged with small fibrous-like parts from the pages projecting into the grooves. These ragged Walls provide an ideal surface for the glue to cling to, the small projecting parts becoming impregnated with part of the glue and entangled with one anotherto form a thoroughly conglutinated mass. the glue is still soft, a super 26 is carried over the backs of the signatures and with its lateral edges disposed forwardly along the sides of the signature group. The forwardly carried edges of the super obstruct the ends of the glue filled grooves to hold the glue therein, thereby preventing the migration of glue to'exoosed-parts of the book to cause an unsightly appearance.

End sheets 23 after being folded as shown may be glued at a margin along the folded edge to the forwardly turned portions of the super.

It is at this stage of assembly that the rounded effect is given to the back of the book, i.e., the book is rounded and backed. While be ing held in a suitable clamping device, the partly bound signatures have rollers passed over their back with sufficient pressure to flex the folded edges of the signatures outwardly. The above mentioned rollers may be heated if desired. This outwardly directed configuration given to the signatures provides the rounded appearance to the back of the book as shown in figure 5. Such a formation further adds to the easy opening qualities of the book and forms joints 261 about which the sides of the cover 27 hinge. The flexed position of thesignatures is retained by the glue 2% when it becomes solidified.

The cover 27 of the book may be attached to the super 26 either in a manner to form a tight back book or a loose back book. In the case of the former the glue is applied to the entire back surface of the super 26 so that the back central portion of the cover 27 is secured to the whole surface of'the super adjacent thereto. 7

When it is desired to make the book of the loose back type, a narrow strip of glue is applied along the longitudinal edges only of the super 26. In the case of a loose back book when the cover is opened the back section of the cover which is not glued to the super will be raised from the super to allow the book to open more easily. Simultaneously with the attaching of the back central section of the case 27 to the signature group the outer surfaces of the end sheets 23 are adhesively attached to the cover boards 28. The edges of the end sheet 23 at-- tached to the cover boards overlap the narrow turned-in margin 29 of the covering material 30. It is possible to attach several difierent types of covers to the signatures which have been glued together. The covers are previously assembled before attachment is bad to the signatures.

The glue within the grooves made in'the backs of the signatures upon becoming congealed suffices as ligatures, and serves the same purpose as do stitches when placed along the back of an assembled group of signatures. To more positively retain the glue within the grooves at the back of the book, those grooves may be of a configuration having parts within the groove offset from the entrance of the groove.

The base of the groove 32 shown in cross section in the fragment of book 20, Figure 6, isbroader than the longitudinal opening to the groove. When glue solidifies in a groove of this type it will be locked into position in much the fashion of the projectingpart of a dovetail joint. Grooves of, .gr,eater width at thebottommay be made in any suitable manner, as by stamping the individual sheets or signatures before assembly into the book and aligning the stamped sections or notches to efifect the grooves.

A differently shaped instrument or die may be used for treating the backs of the sheets to effect aggroove having the cross section of a Y shown in Figure 7. The groove 33 has parts 34 offset from the entrance 35 thereto.

Adiiferent form of groove is shown in Figure 8 which is in the form of a V with the legs 36 thereof offset in either direction from the entrance to the groove.

Still another form of groove 3'7 is shown in Figure 9 and which is T-shaped. An instrument having the cross sectionof a T may be used for making a groove of this kind.

A more pronounced shallowness of the grooves near the center of the group of signatures may be had by trimming the backs of those signatures in the manner shown in Figure 11.

Preferably the trimming operation is accomplished before the cutting of the grooves. When gathered, the signatures are so arranged thatv those at the center of the group protrude. By then passing the signatures over a knife, the protruding part may be trimmed therefrom. Usually the trimmed signatures will be cut deeply enough to expose the back edges of the pages so that the center portion of the book will be patent bound, or held together by glue which may be applied to the back of the book and worked inwardly a short distance between the pages. By this method of binding the grooves need not traverse the trimmed section of the book back. Some strength is added to the book,

however, if the grooves do enter into the trimmed section. When the backs of the signatures are trimmed, a slightly different order of affairs in the assembling of the book is had.

In every case where the signatures at the center of the group are trimmed to decrease the depth of the grooves, the trimmed signatures are patent bound. Patent bound is a term common to the book binding industry and relates to a process of binding long since the subject matter of patent protection. The gluing of the backs of the pages of the signatures which are to be trimmed may be accomplished concurrently with the assembling of the signatures. Later, the

backs of the signatures are trimmed, the grooves A are out within the backs of the gathered signatures, the glue is applied tothe backs of the signatures so as to run within the grooves, the super is attached, and the end sheets are glued to the edges of the super. attached.

Another order of binding is to gather the signatures in the regularway, to trim the backs of the signatures at the center of the group, to'cut the grooves in the manner previously described, to apply glue to the backs of the assembled signatures, to work the glue in the grooves and between the pages of the trimmed signatures along a narrow margin at the backs thereof, to place a super to the back of the signatures by means of said glue, to apply the cover to the back of the super in either of the heretofore described fashions, and to round and back the book.

In order to round and back a book after the cover has been attached, the cover must'be of a Later the cover is thin flexible material such as paper, a sheet of leather or the like. When the ordinary cover similar to cover 27, in which there are cover boards, is attached it is usually necessary because of the weight and stiffness of the material therein to round and back the book before the cover is attached.

When a thin paper cover of this type is attached to the back of the book, it may serve as an end sheet if the book be later encased in a cover with cover boards.

The following method comprises the preferred order of operations in binding the signatures into a casing with cover boards. First, the signatures are gathered in the manner hereinabove mentioned, the backs of the signatures at the center of the group are then trimmed, the grooves are efiected in the backs of the signatures, glue is then applied to the back of the signature group and into the grooves, the glue is then worked between the pages of the trimmed signatures along a margin at the backs thereof, the super is placed over the backs of the signatures to project forwardly at either side of the book and to be maintained in place by glue, end sheets are glued to the forwardly projecting parts of the super, the book is rounded and backed, and the casing is then secured to the super and end sheets by means of glue or paste.

A still difierent rearrangement of the steps of assembling the cover with the signatures is to gather the signatures in the usual way, to eifect the grooves in the backs of the gathered signatures in the manner previously described, to round the backs of the gathered signatures, to trim those signatures in the manner previously described, to apply to the backs of the grooved and trimmed signatures a hot glue to run within the grooves, to work part of the applied glue between the pages of the trimmed signatures along a narrow margin at their backs, to apply a super to the backs of the glued signatures by means of said glue, to attach end sheets to the edges of the super, and to treat the outer surface of the super and end sheet with an adhesive for attaching to the case of the book.

In each of the above recited orders for assembling the case and the signatures, the case is, of course, where end sheets are used, glued or pasted to the end sheets at the same time that it is glued to the super at the back of the signatures.

A more durable book may be built by gluing the pages together that are within the untrimmed signature groups elsewhere than where the glue-filled grooves cross those pages. This may be accomplished incident to folding the pages and accumulating them into signatures. There can be applied to each page by the folding machine and near its folded edge a narrow strip of glue. Then when the pages are gathered together into signatures they will be effectively glued together. With the pages so secured to one another, the likelihood of any of them pulling loose from the signature after it is placed within a book is very remote.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Those steps in the process of building a book which consist of maintaining a group of signatures with their backs in a selected position, and of presenting said signatures to the end of a moving blade in a manner that said blade passes more deeply into the outer of said signatures than into those at the center of said group.

2. Those steps in the process of building a book which consist of gathering a group of signatures, maintaining said gathered signatures with their backs in a desired formation, and of effecting grooves in the backs of said signatures diagonally to the planes described thereby and of a lesser depth in signatures at the center of said group.

3. Those steps in the process of building a book which consist of applying an adhesive material to the folded edge of sheets as they are assembled into signatures, placing said signatures in groups to either side of a central group of signatures, trimming the back of said central signature group, cutting grooves transversely to the backs of said signatures, placing glue upon the backs of said signatures and within said grooves, working said glue between the sheets of said trimmed signatures and between said signature groups, and of attaching a super tothe backs of said signatures by means of said glue.

4. Those steps in the process of building a book which consist of arranging sheets collected into signatures to either side of a group of separate sheets, of eifecting grooves transversely of all of said sheets and more deeply thereinto as the top and bottom faces of said arranged sheets and signatures are approached, of placing glue in such grooves and upon the back edges of said center group of sheets and of working the glue between the adjacent back margins of said center sheets.

PHILIP A. FRAZIER. 

